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Thanks to everyone for confirming what I thought it might be. I did plant oregano in that area, either last year or the year prior. I abandoned picking it as the very small patch of greek hot n spicy oregano out front was so much more flavorful. Ugh! What to do now besides dig, dig, dig?

- Lisa

Marcus1, I've grown marjoram, but it a pot, thankfully. Never used it though I should have, just for display.

sorry, it doesn't look like oregano to me. oregano has a much rounder leaf. and it is slightly fuzzy. it does look more like marjoram but it isn't a perennial. marjoram smells like a room freshener to me. BUT the little part of plant on the left side laying over the wood divider does look like oregano.

sorry, it doesn't look like oregano to me. oregano has a much rounder leaf. and it is slightly fuzzy. it does look more like marjoram but it isn't a perennial. marjoram smells like a room freshener to me. BUT the little part of plant on the left side laying over the wood divider does look like oregano.

Well it is really easy to determine. pick a leaf and taste it. Or bring one to garden center and let them smell it. I can tell oregano by the smell. They should be able to also, if you don't know what it smells like.

If you planted oregano (and not marjoram) then I think you can rest assured. IDK about your climate but marjoram was not a keeper here it struggled and then disappeared. Oregano on the other hand... quickly spreading.
You're right that the flavor of the leaves is not terribly useful.
My favorite things about the oregano:
(1) Bees and butterflies simply adore it.
(2) The buds before they open are a dark purple and the most useful part of the plant for me. Buds make a gorgeous herb vinegar with good flavor (and healthful, those are purple anthocyanins).
I have also tried drying the buds to use as a spice but found the texture too coarse for cooking. Maybe good though if you grind them very fine.
(3) Oregano will seed itself and thrive in any sunny place regardless of the soil. After a few years when you dig the plants there is a beautiful dark soil below them. In other words, it is a lazy way to build soil in a really poor place, just by letting it serve the bees and produce biomass to fall as organic matter on the spot.
(4) Also makes a lovely fragrant biomass for layering into your compost pile to cover your kitchen scraps etc. Makes composting a pleasant chore.

if you have oregano and had marjoram ( i do believe) it could have cross pollinated and reseeded as a not useful herb but probably supports the beneficial insects very well. they thrive on small flower plants.

I didn't realize oregano's many uses, whether a cross or a plain bland oregano. That area can use soil conditioner badly. It was created from half sized landscape timber and cheap bagged products many years ago. Looks like cigarette ashes in there.

I have seen pollinators and purple flowers, though it may be the sage that I was looking at. I wonder what happened to that plant. This area was in shade until a tree was removed from the area last year. It not only allowed sunlight, but now I can move freely without navigating around a big trunk and roots. I may plant peppers in with that stand of oregano with a little tlc added.

I do have a small patch of the tasty oregano returning in a small raised bed filled with MG potting mix. The variety that is returning is Chef Jeff's Hot and Spicy Oregano. My seed grown greek oregano didn't come back in my nice sunny spot near the front walkway in clay soil. I would have though it would be just the opposite.